annealing for neck sizing?

[sbrville]

will annealing your brass help it last longer if all you are doing is neck sizing? thanks SB

 

[red_zr24x4]

Yes, the neck gets the most done to it. That said, I don't anneal, I figure I loose brass before it splits (except in the bolt guns)

 

[jackadew]

will annealing your brass help it last longer if all you are doing is neck sizing? thanks SB

Yes if done properly. Here is everything you need to know about annealing. The Art and Science of Annealing

 

[Broom_jm]

The most common place bottle-neck brass fails is the neck. By annealing every 5th reloading you can increase case life, regardless of whether you neck size, FL size, or something in-between.

 

[sbrville]

thanks. I've annealed a little before via instructions on the internet and they turned out great, just making sure i wasn't wasting my time. thanks again

 

[T4rdV4rk]

Good article on annealing. Accurate in most regards. What is the transition temp for brass and has anyone tried just putting it in an oven? It would have to get close to grain restructuring at those temps. Maybe not?

 

[jackadew]

Good article on annealing. Accurate in most regards. What is the transition temp for brass and has anyone tried just putting it in an oven? It would have to get close to grain restructuring at those temps. Maybe not?

Please read the whole article. Brass needs to be annealed ONLY on the neck and shoulder area. Heating the whole piece of brass can be very dangerous!

 

[sloughfoot]

will annealing your brass help it last longer if all you are doing is neck sizing? thanks SB

NOPE. Total waste of time and energy.

 

[Broom_jm]

NOPE. Total waste of time and energy.

Are you kidding or do you have a difference of opinion?

 

[Yeah]

He knows a fact.

 

[Broom_jm]

He knows a fact.

And you have some kind of documentation to support this "fact"?

I've been pulling the handle on the green machine for a few years, loading a whole lotta 270 rounds. Before I started annealing, 5-10 firings were all I'd get from a single piece, with neck tension issues appearing in as little as 3 or 4 firings. Since learning to anneal properly, which is remarkably easy, my brass life has doubled to 10-20 firings.

Maybe you know something about metallurgy that escapes the rest of the reloading world?

 

[sloughfoot]

Are you kidding or do you have a difference of opinion?

No sir, I am not kidding. This is my opinion.

I stopped annealing when I proved to myself that it was a total waste of time. I load thousands of bottleneck cartridges every year. Most cases get discarded because of loose primer pockets long before the neck splits. (And Federal pockets get big at the same rate as military and other commercial cases.)

Sometime, I would like to meet you and share experiences. I think we would get along just fine.....

 

[indyjohn]

Sometime, I would like to meet you and share experiences. I think we would get along just fine.....

Everyone knows you're a nice guy, I would feel completely comfortable meeting..

 

[sloughfoot]

Everyone knows you're a nice guy, I would feel completely comfortable meeting..

Chocolate chip cookies await any who dare enter my reloading lair....

 

[Yeah]

And you have some kind of documentation to support this "fact"?

On what other basis could I describe it as such? I wouldn't get out of bed in the morning if the P value didn't support the choice.

 

[Tydeeh22]

Chocolate chip cookies await any who dare enter my reloading lair....

on my way..

 

[Broom_jm]

No sir, I am not kidding. This is my opinion.

I stopped annealing when I proved to myself that it was a total waste of time. I load thousands of bottleneck cartridges every year. Most cases get discarded because of loose primer pockets long before the neck splits. (And Federal pockets get big at the same rate as military and other commercial cases.)

Sometime, I would like to meet you and share experiences. I think we would get along just fine.....

As our discussions have always been cordial and respectful, even while disagreeing, I'm sure we would get along just fine.

I suspect this difference in experience may be a result of semi-auto versus bolt action rifles. I used to like to push the envelope a bit on my handloads and found splits in the case neck or shoulder long before primer pockets loosened up. As far as the 308 Federal brass goes, we will just have to agree to disagree.

It is very interesting to read comments from the INGO reloading forum, or a reloading forum devoted largely to 223/308 semi-autos, and then contrast those experiences with the rest of the reloading community; those who shoot mostly bolt-action or single-shot rifles. The processes, equipment, and observations vary significantly.

For example, on Shooters Forum, there is a lively discussion of reloading by men with centuries of combined experience. There is little talk of progressive presses and Hornady One-Shot is something they giggle about as a novelty item. It's just a totally different culture that focuses on very small groups with slow-fire weapons.

Maybe it's just a bunch of "old guys"? Well, if life has taught me anything, it's that you should always listen to old guys...they know stuff.

Fundamentally, the question has to be asked: Why size any case more than you need to, in order for it to feed reliably back into the chamber where it will be fired? If getting it back into the chamber means neck-sizing, full-length resizing, or partial F/L sizing, all that really matters is that it feed properly...right?

From a benchrest accuracy perspective, concentricity is key. The more concentric everything is, during the shot sequence, the more accurate that ammo is going to be. If the case goes into the chamber, with a minimum amount of clearance all around, and the case does not need to expand appreciably to fill the remaining volume of the chamber, during the shot, then it cannot help but be more concentric.

That's the conventional wisdom anyway, and it comes from guys shooting in the 2's and 3's, so that's good enough for me.